Several department faculty were recognized this year for outstanding work in the classroom, service to professional organizations, and career-long achievements. 

Professor Ed Aboufadel was honored by the university in receiving the 2006 Outstanding Teacher Award, the highest prize Grand Valley confers on faculty in recognition of excellence in the classroom. Ed is the first winner of this award from the mathematics department ever since Karen Novotny was recognized in 1993.

Professor David Coffey has been awarded one of just seven 2007 Pew Teaching Excellence Awards that are granted university-wide; he will receive this honor formally at the spring awards banquet hosted by the Provost. The department and its students extend their congratulations to both Ed and Dave for their ongoing efforts to do outstanding work in their classroom instruction.

Professor Charlene Beckmann was the recipient of multiple awards this past year from two different organizations. From MCTM, the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Char was granted both their 2006 Service Award for outstanding service to mathematics education and  MCTM, as well as Regional Director Award for outstanding contributions and leadership in mathematics education within MCTM Region 4. The former award is in recognition of her many different levels of service to MCTM, including her work as president in 2003. This latter award recognizes Char for a host of professional achievements and for being "one of the strongest advocates of mathematics and education in Michigan." 

Char was also recognized for her career-long accomplishments as a teacher and scholar by both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Mathematics at Western Michigan University with their respective Outstanding Achievement Awards for Alumni; she earned her Ph.D. from Western in 1988. Both award citations acknowledge Char's success as a published scholar, her service to organizations such as MCTM, and her 2002-03 Award for Distinguished University teaching from the Michigan Section of the MAA. The GVSU mathematics department congratulates Char for all of this well-deserved recognition from WMU and MCTM.